Automatic switch-throwing device.



No- 799,940. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. G. J. G. RICKERSON. AUTOMATIC SWITCH THROWING DEVICE;

APPLICATION FILED APRII'I, 1905.

PATENT ()FFIGE.

, UNITED STATES AUTOMATIC SWlTCH-THROWING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed April 17 1906. Serial No. 255,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLINTON J G. RICKER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and the State of Colorado, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Switch-Throwing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for throwing or setting a switch in advance of a moving car or train without stoppage of the car. While this device is especially adapted for use on street-railroads-and with electric cars, it can of course be applied, without essentially changing the invention, to road-engines and motors of various kinds.

The invention consists of the novel feature of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the various parts of my device in position for use. Fig.

2 is a plan view of a track, partly broken out, showing the switch-throwing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, showing the means for actuating the switching'device as carried by the track-rail.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line i 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a spiralcut drum. Fig. 6 is a detail side view of a being broken away intermediate its ends.

This device consists of essentially three parts, a casing carried by the outer side of' one of the rails in advance of the switch-containing mechanism adapted to be engaged from the car, a swltch-throwing mechanlsm actuated from the casing, and the device carried by the car to operate the mechanism in the casing, which parts will be described in rality of blocks B, downwardly and forwardly inclined on their rear'facesthat is, toward the approaching car-and having a horizontal face and a similar inclined face on their forward side, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. In advance of these blocks, which are fixed, is a slidable block O, having a downwardly and forwardly inclined rear edge and a slot parallel to the said edge, as shown at O. A coacting slidable plate D is arranged in the casing A between the side and the blocksB, and this plate carries wedge-shaped blocks D, adapted to normally rest on the horizontal faces of the blocks B with the exception of the rearmost block D, which rests in the rear of the blocks B and has one end of a spring D connected thereto, the opposite end of the spring being connected to the rear end of the casing A. A pin D is carried by the plate D and works in the slot O. A projection D rises from the plate D and has beveled ends, as shown in Fig. 3. The flat top or upper edge of this projection normally rests substantially flush with the tread of the rail. The plate D has a forward and downward movement, as will hereinafter appear.

The switch-throwing apparatus consists, essentially, of a rotatable rod E, journaled adjacent the switch-point, the said rod E passing loosely through the rail and carrying a loose ratchet-pinion E at its outer end. This ratchetpinion is hollowed on its inner face and is provided with interior teeth or projections E The'rod E is slotted, and a pin E works loosely in the slot and engages the projections E of the pinion E. On the inner side of the rail the rod E carries a drum F, which has intersecting spiral grooves F cut in its face, as shown in Fig. 5. The switch-points G are carried by a sliding bar H, which is above and parallel to the rod E and which has a depending pin H in engagement with the grooves of the drum.

The device mounted on the car comprises a double-flanged shoe J, having a roller J between the flanges. The shoe is hinged to a bracket J and is connected to the lower end of a foot-rod J which works in a sleeve J and is held in elevated position by acoil-spring J From the front end of the casing A to the switch-point runs'a pipeor suitable boxing of any kind, through which runs a bar K. At its rear end the bar K is connected to the block O, and at its forward end it has formed on it a rack K, which engages and actuates the pinion E.

. The operation of the device is as follows: When it is desired to throw the switch, the motorman depresses the rod J which forces IIO down the shoe J, one flange being on the inher side of the rail and theroller J traveling on the rail. The outer flange of the shoe contacts with and as it ridesupon depresses the projection D of the plate D. This contact at first gives a horizontal movement to the plate D until the blocks D leave the horizontal faces of the blocks B and move downzthe inclined faces. The plate D therefore has a forward motion at first in ahorizontal :plane and thena combined downwardand forward-motion, and the pin D traveling inthe slot C causes the block 0 to slide forwardas the pin moves through the length of the slotCJ Forward movement of the bar K andrack .Krotates the ratchet-pinion E. rod E, and drum F, and the rotation of the drumF with its grooves F in engagementwith the pin H will slide the bar H and movethe switch-point G. The parts will be returned to their n0rrnal positionthat is, the parts in the-casing A and the bar Kthrough the action of the spring D as soon as the shoe J haspassed .over the projection D. It will be obvious, therefore, that the ratchet-pinion E must be loose ,onthe rod E or the switch would be returned to its normal position before the car reached it. When therack K moves forward, itrotates the ratchet-pinion E, andtheprojectionsE? engage the pin vE and the rod E "is rotated; but on rearward movement of ,therack :K and reverse rotation of the rack and pinionthe bar is not rotated as the pinridesor slips over the saidprojections.

Having thus fully-described myzinvention, what I claim as new, and-desireto secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the kind described comprising a forwardly and downwardly movable plate, a slidable block, a :pin carried by the plate, the saidblock havingan inclined slot, the said pin working in:theslot,;a barvhaving a rack formed on it, said bar-being connected to the block,,and switch-throwing means actuated by said rack.

2. A deviceofthe kind describedcomprising a movable=platearranged adjacent a rail, means'carried by acar for movingithe plate, a spring adapted to return the plate to itsvnormal position,-a switch-throwing device comprising a ratchet-pinion, a movable block'having an inclined slot, a pin carried by the plate .and in engagement with the slot, and a bar the plate, a pivoted, depressible shoe carried by a car and having flanges, one of said flanges overlapping theinner face of a rail and one the outer face, .thelatter flange beingadapted toengage vthe projection of the plate,1and a roller between theflanges adapted to-travel on the rail.

A device of the'kind described comprising a slidable bar supporting switch-points and having a dependingpin, a rotatable shaft, a-spirally grooveddrum on the shaft, thepin beingin engagement with the drum, a ratchetpinioniloosely mounted on thei-rod, a-rack-bar adapted to engage the ratchetepinion, inner teeth-on the ratchet-pinion,-and a pin loosely carried by :the rod and in engagement with the inner teeth of the ratchetpinion ;and adapted to rotate thelrod when the ratchetpinion is rotated in one direction and :the slip on theteeth when the -rat,chetpinion .is r0- tatediin vthe oppositedirection, and means for reciprocating i the rack-bar.

5. A device of the kind described comprising a casing adjacenta rail, beveled blocks carried iby the lrail-webwithin thezcasing, a

plate in the casing adapted to forward and downward movement, =c0acting blocks carried by the plate, a spring connected tothe plate and tothecasing, anzupwardly-extending projection carried by theplate, a pin carried by the plate, a movable block-inthe casing havingan inclined slot, the pin of the tion. of the ratchet-pinion in one direction.

CLINTON "J. G. RIGKERSON.

-Witnesses:

.J. WATT PAGE,

ID. Fos'rE-R PRICE. 

